SAN ANTONIO -- A 16-year-old high school football player is recovering after suffering the same injury his brother did six years ago.
Gabriel Edwards is a sophomore at Johnson High School. He remains at Christus Santa Rosa Hospital after taking a severe blow to the head while practicing football nearly two weeks ago.
Six years ago, Gabriel's brother, Michael, suffered the same type of injury. Doctors told the Edwards family the odds of the same brain injury affecting two people in the same family and playing the same sport are astronomical.
"From what I understand, he was going for a chop block, and he ended up taking a knee to the helmet," Michael told News 4 WOAI.
The blow caused a
subdural hematoma, or bleeding on the brain. Gabriel was on a ventilator and was in and out of consciousness for more than seven days. He is recovering, but he is still struggling to regain strength in his right leg.
"When I saw him in the ICU, it was just like seeing everything from a different perspective," Michael told News 4 WOAI.
The last time Michael was in the Intensive Care Unit, he was the one hooked up to the ventilator. He was a sophomore and playing football at Reagan High School when he was injured. After surgery to relieve the pressure and a year of rehabilitation, Michael, for the most part, made a full recovery.
"All I can do is pretty much be a motivation factor to him and inspire him to keep doing well keep doing his rehab," said Michael.
Fortunately, Gabriel's injury was not as severe as his older brother's, and he will not need surgery.
